Letters

SPORTS-CRAZED KIDS

"Who's complaining? Actually participating on a team is better for kids than playing sports video games or watching TV sports." LANCE CAIN Austin, Texas

Bravo for your piece about the obsession with sports among kids and parents [SPORT, July 12]! The true cost of parents' foisting their competitive mania on their children, however, goes far beyond the price of uniforms and private athletic tutors. It is sad to see all those kids worshipping sports stars when they could be involved in the sciences, arts and scouting. Ouch! If sports has replaced religion in American life, whom have we to blame but ourselves if our kids carry guns to school? JONATHAN LOWE Tucson, Ariz.

I will tirelessly go to practices and games and cheer away. I will take part in pitching, batting, jump shots and lay-ups. The next time you see zealous, overheated parents, remember that at least they have taken the time to participate in their child's life. Not every parent is looking for a multimillion-dollar contract. What's being sculpted here is not a pro athlete but a secure, stable, responsible adult. This weekend's baseball game is where we will continue teaching the lessons of life...one pitch at a time. SHARON HAIGNEY Fort Worth, Texas

I am appalled at kids' sports. The only reason youngsters play is to win, not for the pleasure of just playing. What ever happened to "for love of the game"? Parents should be ashamed of themselves! Kids, get a grip! The world doesn't revolve around sports or around you. Parents, please. It's just a game. JESSICA POLLEDRI, 14 Verona, N.J.

Devotion to sports on any level undermines humanity. George Orwell said it best: "Serious sport has nothing to do with fair play. It is bound up with hatred, jealousy, boastfulness, disregard in witnessing violence. In other words, it is war minus the shooting." VINCENT GUGLIUZZA Towson, Md.

It's a pretty safe bet that the little guy shown on your cover will grow up to trade in his bat and helmet for a stadium seat and a beer. The collusion between our educational system and professional sports is made possible because we parents fail to insist that our average children not be used as a source of supply for professional sports. DONALD WINZE New Berlin, Wis.

I remember growing up in an era when "unorganized" sports ruled the day. We learned valuable socialization skills during pickup games, in which we children negotiated and compromised on issues. We brought the equipment, made up the rules, settled arguments and, most of all, learned how to work together as a team. Parents today are taking away this learning experience. STEVEN FINE Antioch, Ill.

WHAT HILLARY AMOUNTS TO

In musing about Hillary Clinton's political future [VIEWPOINT, July 12], Lance Morrow has every right to think the thumpings of his prophetic kitchen table signify a victorious campaign by Hillary for the New York Senate seat. But it sounds as if he is hearing the same voices Hillary does when she talks to Eleanor Roosevelt. A Ouija board would be a more reliable source for prognostications, but make sure the board is on a table that has been bolted down. BRUCE L. WILLIAMSON Clifton Park, N.Y.

DIVORCE, POLITICAL STYLE

Re your article "Can This Marriage Be Saved?" [NATION, July 12], describing how Gore is trying to distance himself from President Clinton: If I were Gore, the last place I would want to be is in a marriage with Clinton--unless, of course, someday I wanted to run for Senator from a state where I had never lived. MEL MAURER Westlake, Ohio

Despite his sexual misconduct, Clinton has worked tirelessly for humanitarian causes both here and abroad. In distancing himself from Clinton, Gore has also severely distanced himself from becoming President. You never bite the hand that feeds you! VAL F. MARCHILDON Duluth, Minn.

AMERICA THE LOVABLE

Cheers to Molly Ivins for her celebration of the lovable stuff about Americans [ESSAY, July 12]. As I read it aloud to friends, I felt I was expressing my own ideas, illustrated with Molly's colorful word pictures. She held up a mirror, and we chuckled and nodded approval. JEAN H. MICULKA El Paso, Texas

I applaud Ivins' sentiments, but what a pity she couldn't laud Americans without sneering at the Germans and the Canadians! It ruined the Essay for me. MARTIN S. GILLIESON Hingham, Mass.

Ivins is such a refreshing voice. It's good to be reminded that the jumble that is America is a blessing. JUDITH RICE Louisville, Ky.

A STRATEGY FOR KASHMIR

It is high time for the U.S. to be consistent and treat the Kashmiris the same way as the Kosovars in the wake of Serbian aggression [WORLD, July 12]. The U.S. needs to spearhead an international effort to deliver the Kashmiri people their rights. WASIQ M. BOKHARI Philadelphia

KUBRICK REINVENTS THE GENRE

In discussing unfinished projects by director Stanley Kubrick [NOTEBOOK, July 12], you noted that AI, a science-fiction film about artificial intelligence, might have been a better film for his finale than Eyes Wide Shut. But the fact that Kubrick had already made a trilogy of sci-fi flicks (Dr. Strangelove, 2001 and A Clockwork Orange) is probably why he opted to do something different. Kubrick virtually reinvented each genre in which he worked, whether it was a horror film like The Shining, an antiwar movie like Full Metal Jacket or a science-fiction feature. It is not surprising that he chose to make a psychological drama so he could reinvent that genre too. GENE D. PHILLIPS, S.J., AUTHOR Stanley Kubrick: A Film Odyssey Chicago